.This year’’’’s summer vacation was most enjoyable.I spent fifteen days helping my grandparents doing farm work in the countryside,where I saw mountains and fields covered with green plants.Sometimes I went swimming in the river to the west of the village,the water in which was quite clear.
I kept a diary every day.Besides doing farm work,I help the children in the neighborhood with their lessons.All of them showed much interest in English.They could read and write well,but they could hardly understand simple English.So every day in the morning I spent about two hours helping them improve their listening and spoken English.They all made great progress.Their parents all thought highly of me.I now realize that knowledge is very much needed in the countryside.
2.An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking and shifting of large sections of Earth‘s rocky outer shell.Earthquakes are among the most powerful events on earth,and their results can be terrifying.A severe earthquake may release energy 10,000 times as great as that of the first atomic bomb.Rock movements during an earthquake can make rivers change their course.Earthquakes can trigger landslides that cause great damage and loss of life.Large earthquakes beneath the ocean can create a series of huge,destructive waves called tsunamis (pronounced tsoo NAH meez) that flood coasts for many miles.
Earthquakes almost never kill people directly.Instead,many deaths and injuries in earthquakes result from falling objects and the collapse of buildings,bridges,and other structures.Fire resulting from broken gas or power lines is another major danger during a quake.Spills of hazardous chemicals are also a concern during an earthquake.
The force of an earthquake depends